


How hard can it be?

by alexwlchan



Category: Star Trek
Genre: Transporter Malfunction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:55:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24070969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexwlchan/pseuds/alexwlchan
Summary: What happens when two students think they can hack together transporter biofilters over a weekend?
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	How hard can it be?

**Author's Note:**

> Set between Enterprise and TOS. Transporters exist and are commonplace, but biofilters and the like are still theoretical.
> 
> I came up with this idea when I was falling asleep last night, and wrote it over breakfast. Minimal editing; I just wanted to get the idea out.

### Introduction

This report has been compiled by the Starfleet Academy Board of Ethics. It concerns illegal transporter experimentation by two cadets, Chad █████ and Elon ████████.

This report and its recommendations are approved by the entire Board, Stardate 2231.67.

### Chain of events

During the academic term commencing 2230.89, Professor Ling Karsh taught a module about transporter physics. This is a third-year module, and part of a standard cadet course in starship engineering. It includes a complete explanation of how transporters work, and the standard transporter design.

Professor Karsh is a noted expert on transporter technology, and xie had already taught this course for six years prior.

As part of the module, students are asked to write an essay about possible enhancements to transporter technology. This is meant to be a test of their research skills. Papers on current transporter research are a matter of public record, and indexed by the Academy Library. Common topics include extending transporter range [Miras, 2229], enhanced validation of pattern buffers [Nevar, 2228], and transporting an object moving at speed [Sato, 2230.1].

Due to the inherent risks of transporter technology, making modifications to transporters require a special license. At time of writing, seventeen licenses have been issued – twelve for Starfleet Engineering, five for academic research.

Cadets Chad and Elon decided to research the use of transporters for decon.

Decon is a common problem on starships. After exposure to potentially dangerous environmental conditions, crew members must attend a decon chamber before returning to their duties on board their ship. This is a laborious and time-consuming process, and negates much of the benefit of transporters over shuttle craft.

It is theorised [Rogel, 2226.7] that a pattern buffer could be modified in-flight to remove environmental hazards, before the pattern is reconstituted at the target. This is a topic of active research, and at least one prototype exists [Erickson, 2229.4.1], but it is still experimental and is not approved for use by the Starfleet Medical Council. This research is indexed by the Academy Library.

Personal logs show that Cadets Chad and Elon did not consult previous research, inside deciding to try their own physical experiments. Excerpts from their personal logs follow:

> Elon, Friday @ 2127: _How hard can it be? You just apply a mutex filter to the inbound pattern buffer, and you’re done. I bet we can do it in a weekend._ (Board note: this approach has been extensively tried previously [Erickson, 2228.3]. Replicator logs suggest Elon may have been suffering the effects of alcohol poisoning.)
> 
> […]
> 
> Chad, Friday @ 2231: _Okay, so we tried putting a Tribble through a transporter with a mutex filter. Turns out our filter changed the length of the pattern buffer, but the transporter tried to reconstitute the original length, so we got a Tribble and a pile of extra goo. The Tribble seemed fine though!_ (Board note: this is known [Erickson, 2228.3]. Additionally, use of live Tribbles in experiments requires a permit for use of animal research. Neither cadet had such a permit.)
> 
> […]
> 
> Chad, Saturday @ 0312: _Fourth attempt, but I think we’ve got it this time! We had to get a new Tribble after the last one had an accident, but all good now._ (Board note: what happened to the first Tribble remains unclear.)
> 
> […]
> 
> Elon, Saturday @ 0712: _Damn it Chad! You screwed up the inner loop, and now the transporter keeps trying to create the same Tribble over and over. Help me turn it off!_
> 
> […]
> 
> Elon, Sunday @ 1631: _Ha! I knew we could do it, those idiots at the Academy don’t know anything. That’s the eighth Tribble we’ve managed to transport, and every time it filters out the poison successfully. Okay, my turn. Beam me up!_
> 
> Chad: _Are you sure you wa—_ [interrupted]
> 
> Elon: _Oh come on, grow a pair! What’s the worst that could happen?_

Exactly what happened next remains unclear. Elon stepped on to the sending transporter pad, and Chad activated the transporter beam. Elon was then disassembled, but not reconstructed on the receiving transporter. Chad spent an hour trying to recover Elon’s pattern from the transporter, but in vain. They then called Professor Karsh to ask for assistance.

Professor Karsh came to the apartment where the testing was taking place. Xie in turn called several other colleagues, who attempted to recover Elon, but after two weeks of work were unable to do so. Elon is pronounced missing, presumed dead.

Cadet Chad and Professor Karsh were both placed on academic suspension, pending hearing.

### Causes of the accident

  1. **Cadets ignored laws and regulations around transporter modifications.** These laws exist for a reason – transporters carry risk, as illustrated here.

  2. **Cadets ignored laws and regulations around healthcare and medical research.** There is a long history of laws being created to reduce the danger inherent in medical research. In particular, there are many historical examples of attempts to improve healthcare that have done more harm than good.

  3. **Mutex filters are not appropriate for transporter pattern buffers.** Had the cadets consulted the relevant literature, they would have learnt this. In particular, while a mutex filter is acceptable for small loads, the storage required increases exponentially – when applying the filter to Elon, the transporter ran out of memory and dropped the entire pattern.




### Recommendations

  * The Board **notes** Professor Karsh’s attempts to rescue Elon, albeit unsuccessful. They find no reason to think that xir behaviour or teaching is the cause of this accident, and **recommend** xie be reinstated at the earliest opportunity.

  * The Board **recommends** that Cadet Chad be expelled. The Academy does not have the power to issue criminal charges, but the findings of this investigation will be passed to the relevant authorities.

  * Per Starfleet regulations, we cannot levy a judgement or sanction against Cadet Elon, as they have been unable to present in their own defence or nominate an appropriate second, and their death has not been conclusively proven. If they ever return to the Academy, we **recommend** that they be placed on academic suspension until a new review can be scheduled. The complete testimonials from the current review will be placed in the Starfleet Archives for the benefit of future review boards.




### Conclusion

This incident illustrates the importance of safe working practices in medical research. Our laws and regulations exist for a reason. Medical procedures cannot be invented by students working from a dorm room.

**Author's Note:**

> Any parallels or allegories to current events are definitely unintentional.
> 
> People doing experiments with DIY medical tech without considering the safety implications? Never!


End file.
